New York dog bite law in Brooklyn
The owner pays if they knew of the dog's vicious streak or if they failed to use ordinary care. That is Flanders v Goodfellow, 44 NY3d 57 and it covers a bite anywhere in Brooklyn.
You have 3 years for personal injury to file a lawsuit (CPLR 214). A claim can settle with the owner's insurer sooner, but the date still matters.
One more New York rule to know. Claim against a city or town: notice of claim in 90 days (General Municipal Law 50-e).
Read the full New York dog bite laws for the exceptions and the rules on shared fault.
Reporting the bite and filing in Kings County
Report the bite to NYC Health, report an animal bite. Give the date, the place, the dog and the owner's name if you know it. The report also becomes a record for your claim.
Report the bite to the NYC Health Department, which follows up on the dog. Larger injury claims go to the Kings County Supreme Court, which sits in Downtown Brooklyn.
If the claim does not settle, it is filed with the Kings County Supreme Court, Civil Term.
Brooklyn dog bite lawyer: what the free call covers
- Whether New York's rule fits what happened and what the owner knew about the dog.
- Whose policy pays, usually the owner's home or renters insurance.
- Your own last day to file, which comes sooner against a public body.
Want a rough number first? The settlement calculator asks three questions.
